February 24 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s announcement that the world governing body would fund rebuilding football infrastructure in Palestine to the tune of $75 million came as a surprise to the football world.
Infantino’s pledge has been met with questions of where this money is going to come from and why no-one within FIFA, including its general secretary Mathias Grafstrom, as well as confederation presidents and even the Palestinian FA were aware of the initiative.
FIFA has not budgeted for the $75 million funding package, and Infantino does not have the executive power to commit that amount of money on his own. He is unlikely to gain the support of member associations for what would be an extraordinary budget item if he were to ask FIFA to pay.
Multiple federation presidents have questioned what this means for their own FIFA grants though it is believed that Infantino’s commitment is to raise the money rather than guarantee it from FIFA’s funds, and that he will likely return to the sovereign wealth funds that have bailed him out in the past over challenged projects like the Club World Cup and FIFA+. However, even the sovereign wealth funds are so far staying quiet.
What is perhaps more perplexing is that Infantino has not approached the Palestinian FA (PFA) over the grant and the building of a national stadium. PFA president Jibril Rajoub confirmed that they had not been consulted and that the first they heard of this was from Infantino’s announcement at Donald Trump’s Board of Peace meeting.
A number of leading national association leaders have also questioned why, if a fund actually exists, it isn’t being administered through UN channels that are already working in Palestine, rather than the significantly proscribed and untested Board of Peace.
Infantino’s relationship with the Palestinian FA is not a strong one. He has repeatedly sided with the Israeli FA over the disputes between the federations and prevented FIFA’s annual congress from debating or voting on the issues that would logically lead to a call for a suspension of Israel.
If put to the vote, the Israelis would likely be suspended by FIFA’s membership.
Infantino’s new found largesse towards Palestine came days after he and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin were accused of “aiding war crimes” and “crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territory” in a complaint filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The complaint was filed by advocacy groups Irish Sport for Palestine, Scottish Sport for Palestine, Just Peace Advocates, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, and Sport Scholars for Justice in Palestine. A group of Palestinian footballers, Palestinian clubs, landowners, and a human rights organisation in Palestine were also named in the submitting parties.
The allegations highlight FIFA and UEFA’s “inclusion of Israeli football clubs based in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory that were built on land stolen from Palestinian people”.
“FIFA and UEFA permit these clubs to play in leagues organised by the Israel Football Association and host matches on the seized land,” the statement said. “They also provide financial and structural support to settlement clubs, some of which have played in the UEFA-organised competitions.”
Israel rejects claims from The United Nations and the International Court of Justice that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank area violate international law.
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